Saturday, 21 May 2016

At Full Stretch & a Good Hair Day

Friday was the final emergency change when the original venue was closed due to health and safety reasons. Everyone was pre-warned about the number of speed cameras in the area before they set off.

Heron

Ditto

I checked out the hide before the participants arrived. Unfortunately, the Common Terns were still absent, but rather surprisingly a Heron was perched on one of the rafts. I was hoping it would be there for my students, but a noisy dog walker shouting commands at his hound frightened it off. Shortly after the Heron flew off the beautiful song of a Curlew rang through the site.

Getting Ready to Stretch

A Full Stretch

Leaving

The morning group tried the hide first. Yet again, the pair of Great Crested Grebes put on a fine display for us. There were plenty of unmentionables, and on the return journey a pair of Greylag Geese had flown in. A Moorhen was coping with its young family, but the long-hoped for return of the Water Vole had to remain unsatisfied.

We want to dance but look at this interloper!

Get out of the picture!

At Last

That's more like it

Good Hair Day?

And Rest

Going separate ways

We detoured through a little woodland, but the Jays and Green Woodpeckers seemed to be absent yet again. We could see both Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker holes, but they seemed rather ancient. Once again the ever-present Treecreepers were a fine compensation.

Treecreepers

Treecreeper (c) 2016 Jane Robinson

Female Blackcap taken through willow leaves

We continued round the lake without adding anything other than a Blackcap, but Reed Warblers could be heard beyond the hedge. Some of the group were quick enough with their optics to see the sun shining on the "ginger" head of a female Blackcap.

What am I looking at?

Back to Normal

Chiffchaff

Damselfly

We took the staircase down the northern bank where another Chiffchaff was heard, and a Willow Warbler serenaded us from just outside the hide, and a Reed Bunting could be heard making its few desultory notes on the far side of the water. The odd Bullfinch could be heard making its sorrowful call, but these were not to be seen today. Chris spotted a Heron perched on a tree opposite the pond, and everyone in the hide helped Hazel to see it too.

Large Red Damselfly

Speckled Wood

The return journey took us along the lower southern route of the embankment, but failed to add much in the way of new species. We even went along the edge of the buttercup meadow for a change. The only things of note were a Stock Dove, and a close look at an almost new Barn Owl box.

Goldcrest

Goldcrest

A male Goldcrest was singing in the car park again, but it remained out of sight. However, the afternoon group saw a showy one as they reached the woodland, and very obligingly he kept opening his crest and revealing his deepest colour.

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Spring /Summer Term

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Bookings for the 10-week Spring term has started. At the time of writing there are a couple of vacancies on Thursday afternoons, followed by Wednesday afternoons and Friday afternoons. I'm afraid I cannot take any more bookings on the Tuesday morning or Friday morning sessions. If you are interested in another session, please ask. For at least 2 hours a week encounter the natural world as a completely new sensual experience. You'll be amazed what you'll find just by listening, and not only by looking! In the Spring we'll be paying special attention to birdsong. If you want help sorting out your Sedge Warblers from your Reed Warblers, and pointing out the differences between singing Blackcaps and Garden Warblers then this is the place to be. We are going to locations where you will hopefully see, and not just hear Cuckoos. We are also planning to visit sites with Turtle Doves, Redstarts and other special summer visitors. So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for less than £10 a week, then this is the course for you! We visit a different local hotspot each week and identify all the birds and as much other wildlife as we can. This also includes mammals, and fungi with butterflies, and dragonflies. The course runs twice daily Tuesday to Friday. If you are interested in more details of the course, or wish to be placed on a waiting list, please leave a comment next to one of my posts or email me on mflowers81@live.co.uk

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